Bright Mass With Canons (2005)
for John Scott and the Choir of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York
12'
Bright Mass with Canons was written for John Scott and the choir of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York. There are canons ““ imitative repetitions ““ in almost every bar of the Mass. In the Kyrie and Gloria, canons reference the imitative writing of early English composers Byrd and Weelkes, whereas the canonic writing in the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei is more abstract and spatial. The most intense use comes towards the beginning the Sanctus, in which each singer repeats a given figure in his own time, creating a flurry of sound to fill the space in St. Thomas’s sanctuary. 
Kyrie
[audio:BMWCKyrie.mp3]
Gloria
[audio:BMWCGloria.mp3]
Sanctus & Benedictus
[audio:BMWCSanctus.mp3]
Agnus Dei
[audio:BMWCAgnus.mp3]
4 Comments
February 16th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Nico,
I am a regular at St. Thomas and was present to hear this performed a few weeks ago. I was pleased to hear such an excellent piece of music, especially one composed for St. Thomas. Good luck in the future, and perhaps I will see you at church.
Best,
Dan Bang
January 9th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
May 25th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Beautiful music & it is encouraging to find a young composer working with pipe organ & choir. The Anglican tradition is one of the richest aesthetic traditions in the world & needs to be rediscovered by the younger generations. I encourage Nico to continue writing music for this tradition & help keep it alive & growing.
June 14th, 2010 at 3:01 am
Wow, I just listened through the entire piece…it captivated me from the start. The constant echoing of footsteps in the Agnus Dei somehow made it more haunting, almost as if it were a “found sound” and meant to be there.
Zach